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Supervisors discuss 2026 legislative priorities and governance; agree to adopt 'living' priorities with amendments
Summary
After a presentation of the draft 2026 legislative priorities and 2026–2028 strategic plan framing, supervisors debated transparency for board‑level letters, the role of outside lobbyists, FEMA and EPA funding concerns, and reached consensus to adopt the priorities as a living document subject to amendments and future reports.
Chief Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein reviewed the county’s Vision 2028 priorities and introduced a draft strategic plan for 2026–2028 and the county’s proposed state and federal legislative priorities. He noted retained contracts with Nielsen Merxemer and Paragon government relations to represent county priorities in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Supervisors asked for clearer links between the strategic plan and legislative priorities, requested periodic reporting on lobbyist activity and measurable goals (quarterly or semiannual reports), and raised specific concerns including FEMA policy updates, EPA clean water and drinking water state revolving fund levels, and tracking property‑tax changes affecting tax‑defaulted properties.
Board members debated whether staff or subsets of supervisors should be authorized to send letters on matters that fall within an adopted priority. Some supervisors cautioned that full‑board signatures carry optics and risk; others said that a narrower process can speed urgent advocacy but must keep members informed. The board reached consensus to adopt the priorities as a living document with direction to staff to incorporate Supervisor Sabatier’s suggested amendments and to return with more detail where requested.
County lobbyists and staff said they will return in early March with bill tracking and a more robust update after the state bill introduction deadline. The board’s direction emphasized transparency, periodic accountability reporting on lobbyist actions, and alignment between the strategic plan and lobbying priorities.
